Adam Melchor - 'The Last Song On Earth'
New Jersey is home to some of America’s greats. Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra, to name a few. But it’s also home to future greats, too. Adam Melchor is a musician who writes folk-pop from a mature angle, with the smoky richness of red wine and the airy lightness of a summer’s sunshine.
His 2017 debut EP ‘The Archer’ is a perfect example of how to keep a genre fresh, interesting and engaging. The simple fingerpicked guitars, gently pulsing beats and heartfelt lyrics came together beautifully, each song perfect to feature in a tender coming-of-age movie.
With everything to have happened globally in 2020, it seems almost a given for many artists right now to want to write about it. Which is exactly what Adam Melchor has done with his latest release. ‘Last Song On Earth’ opens up with a reflective a-cappella passage, as though looking back on the current state of the world, from the future: “Boarded up the storefronts, sent everyone home / No one was driving, the air was all clean, just one of the reasons I was grateful to breathe.” It’s a fascinating perspective-shift on the world, once again highlighting Adam’s Elliott Smith-level penmanship and begging people to feel the words as they suspend mid-air.
The fantastic Emily Warren provides gorgeous harmonies throughout the track, further adding to its charm and warmth. And then there’s a moment where choir-like stacked harmonies crash through the song, like light flooding an old church through a stained-glass window.
This track is essential listening given the cacophony of the world, and whilst Adam lyrically & rightfully refuses to turn his face in the wake of such horror, the music itself works wonders in alleviating the heartache we’re all collectively feeling.
Words of Curtis Saunders